The Giants' plans for the month of September likely won't change based on the team's record

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San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) chats with San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey (28) in the dugout before their MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, June 28, 2019. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

SAN FRANCISCO — The difference in the Giants’ stated goal entering the 2019 season was subtle.

For years, CEO Larry Baer and executives Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans explained the Giants wanted to “contend” on an annual basis. Merely staying close to the playoff hunt wasn’t enough. Leading the pack and having a legitimate chance to win a World Series title was perhaps the only way to define a season as a success.

Under first-year president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ stated goal shifted ever so slightly.

Instead of expressing a desire to contend, Zaidi wanted the Giants to play “meaningful baseball as deep into the season as possible.”

With five weeks left in the season, the games are still meaningful. The Giants, at 63-65, are not contending.

That’s not to say the 2019 team is out of the playoff hunt altogether. The last time the Giants were told to turn the page, they ripped off a marvelous hot streak that left the rest of baseball convinced San Francisco was the one team no one wanted to face.

They embraced an underdog role, and to remain in the broader conversation across the sport, they’ll need to do so again.

Since their 19-6 month in July, the Giants have begun to fade. Their young starting pitching is overwhelmed, their bullpen is exhausted, the offense can’t hit at home and their record in August is 8-12.

Following four consecutive losses that included a series sweep in Chicago against a Cubs team with serious pennant aspirations, it’s fair to wonder if the Giants’ definition of “meaningful” will soon shift.

And if it does, what will that look like?

Regardless of whether the team suddenly heats up or continues at a clip that will likely keep the team hovering around .500, the changes in the club’s on-field approach may be just as delicate as their altered season objective.

Even if the team was running away with the National League West, the Giants would still be eager to watch veteran Johnny Cueto return from Tommy John surgery and pitch out of the starting rotation. Manager Bruce Bochy would still savor every Madison Bumgarner start and do everything in his power to pair him with catcher Buster Posey, even if Posey hasn’t looked like the same version of himself following surgery last August.

The outfield rotation partially dreamed up by Zaidi shouldn’t be much different, either. The Giants will ride the hot hand in the corners because they’re eager to see more of Alex Dickerson, Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater, but with Steven Duggar on the 60-day injured list, it’s unlikely anyone will cut into Kevin Pillar’s playing time in center field.

The Giants should be motivated to evaluate outfield prospect Jaylin Davis, a slugging right-handed hitter acquired in the trade that sent Sam Dyson to the Twins. A desire to see Davis in the big leagues shouldn’t fluctuate with the team’s record, but perhaps he’ll receive a few more at-bats than he would have originally if the Giants fall further back in the standings.

One of the most interesting storylines in September could turn out to be the way the Giants divide up playing time in the infield. Shortstop Brandon Crawford’s regression at the plate may compel the front office to urge Bochy to audition prospect Mauricio Dubón up the middle. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Dubón –who is already receiving solid reviews for his fluidity as a fielder– or Abiatal Avelino begin to steal starts from second baseman and pending free agent Scooter Gennett if the recent trade acquisition continues to struggle.

If the Giants are considering parting with first baseman Brandon Belt in an offseason trade, it might be quite meaningful to see how Chris Shaw and Aramis Garcia could handle a platoon at first base. It’s difficult to envision the Giants pulling Belt and Crawford out of the starting lineup regularly in September, but it’s not out of the question for either to lose some at-bats in the final two weeks of the year.

With Pablo Sandoval on the injured list, will the Giants take another look at Zach Green to make sure they don’t run Evan Longoria into the ground?

The Giants have already spent much of the summer evaluating Tyler Beede and Shaun Anderson in the rotation and with Cueto set to join the team, innings may be limited across the board. There’s no concern about shielding prospect Logan Webb from more starts after he lost a significant opportunity due to an 80-game PED suspension, but the Giants could theoretically use a six or seven-man starting staff in September to protect their younger arms.

The differences in the Giants’ September approach might be more drastic if a slew of veterans were playing on expiring contracts and the club wasn’t trying to send out a revered manager on a high note.

A front office led by Zaidi still believes in winning as many games as possible and doesn’t believe young players can be fairly evaluated on the basis of 50-something at-bats or a few dozen innings at the major league level.

Subtle September changes, not drastic ones, are probably the way the Giants have been heading all along.

Even if they fall completely out of contention, the games they play will still be meaningful. How “meaningful” depends on how you define the word.

Kerry Crowley is a multimedia beat reporter covering the San Francisco Giants. He spent his early days throwing curveballs in San Francisco’s youth leagues before studying journalism at Arizona State University. Kerry has covered every level of baseball, from local preps to the Cape Cod League, and is now on a quest to determine which Major League city serves the best cheeseburger.